ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products has released its newest Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for low carbon footprint steel products: XCarb® recycled and renewably produced Granite® and Estetic® organic coated steels.

The lowest carbon footprint in the EU

This EPD, published by Institut Bauen und Umwelt e.V. and third party verified according to EN 15804+A2, places ArcelorMittal’s XCarb® recycled and renewably produced organic coated steel offer in the position of having the lowest carbon footprint in the EU with a reduction factor of 2.6 compared to standard prepainted steel.

For construction applications, such as roofing and cladding, XCarb® recycled and renewably produced organic coated steel enables a carbon footprint reduction of around 50% (module A1-A3) per m². In terms of carbon footprint per m², this demonstrates that steel is among the solutions with the lowest carbon footprint.

Best in class

With this new low carbon Granite® prepainted steel offer, ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products is combining:

• A best in class product range for durability with long-lasting guarantees for each type of environment
• A best in class product for reducing the carbon footprint
• A best in class product to meet aesthetic requirements thanks to a large selection of colours and textures

Download and discover this EPD – and more – in our EDP library.

Text:
Constructalia

Images:
ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

EPD for XCarb® recycled and renewably produced organic coated steel coils Granite® and Estetic®

At BAU, the world's leading trade fair for the construction sector, from 17 to 22 April in Munich, ArcelorMittal's business units will present a wide range of products on offer: from facade solutions and load-bearing structures to roof structures for photovoltaic systems.

Robust, sustainable, and as eye-catching as possible

Steel as a material is playing an increasingly important role in resource-efficient construction. Steel is versatile, fully recyclable, and – thanks to innovative technologies – can be manufactured with a smaller carbon footprint. The use of steel products with reduced CO₂ emissions represents further progress towards a climate-neutral construction industry.

"This year, our focus is on the topic of sustainable construction with steel, highlighting the role that low carbon emissions steel can play in reducing the carbon footprint of the construction sector. Manufacturing methods are changing, which means the use of renewable energies and scrap are increasing. As a durable, infinitely recyclable, but also very versatile material, steel is suitable for any use in the construction industry. And it is an important material in the energy transition, with low-carbon emissions steel needed for wind power or photovoltaics. Visitors to BAU will be able to see this for themselves," says Tapas Rajderkar, Chief Marketing Officer of ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products.

Carbon emissions reduction thanks to XCarb® steels

Sustainability, circular economy, and ArcelorMittal's XCarb® range are in focus this year. This brings together all the group's manufacturing processes, products, initiatives, and innovation projects aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. XCarb® recycled and renewably produced steel is made in an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) using 100% renewable electricity and up to 100% scrap, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of steel buildings. Emissions can be as low as 300 kilograms CO₂ per tonne compared with over two tonnes for steel produced conventionally. In the construction of an industrial hall, for example, steel that is recycled and produced with renewable electricity can save as many tonnes of CO₂ as the total steel tonnage required for the building envelope and supporting structure, without changing the construction method or the established building process.

Sustainability goes hand in hand with quality at the world's leading steel and mining group. In addition to the aesthetic aspect, the performance and recyclability of the materials and the construction elements used have an impact on the life cycle assessment of a building. The use of high strength steels contributes to a reduction in the carbon footprint. For example, for the same load-bearing capacity, the carbon footprint of a beam can be reduced by 15 to 20%. When using a composite deck instead of a conventional precast concrete one, the reduction is up to 30%.

A wide range of applications in construction

With the Granite® product family, ArcelorMittal offers a range of organic coated steels for building envelopes with more than 120 colours and textures, guaranteed for up to 40 years. For facade substructures, solar mounting structures, but also cable trays, composite floors, and many more applications, Magnelis® metallic coated steel resists corrosion three times better than regular galvanised steel. Both products are available as XCarb® recycled and renewably produced.

Special roof panels for photovoltaic systems

A few years ago, a solar/photovoltaic system was still a "nice to have", but today it is a standard feature and has even become mandatory for new commercial buildings. ArcelorMittal specialises in the installation of photovoltaic modules on roofs and will be showing its portfolio at BAU. Whether renovating existing buildings or constructing new ones, Ondatherm Solar® roof panels offer simple and quick installation for photovoltaic systems, are robust, and provides a high level of thermal protection. Various flexible solutions are available to customers and builders for mounting the modules.

Sustainable supporting structures

ArcelorMittal will also present its solutions for load-bearing structures at BAU. Cofraplus® 80 composite floor profiles are approved by building authorities as prefabricated steel floors and have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to prefabricated concrete slabs. For structural applications, high strength HISTAR® steels provide cost and material savings. The weather-resistant Arcorox® steel grades with natural corrosion protection have a long service life and are already being used successfully in bridge construction projects.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Germany
Constructalia

Images:
© Tom Clausen, shutterstock.com, and Philippe Vandenameele
© ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

BAU 2023

Sustainability was at the forefront of ArcelorMittal's Paint Sustainability Innovation Awards (PSIA) that have resumed this year after two years of interruption. Known since 2014 the as Paint Suppliers Innovation Awards, the name of the challenge has changed to reflect the growing importance of sustainability expected from our suppliers in their ideas.

Innovation for sustainable organic coated steels

"Retaining our leadership position in pre-painted steels requires exploring innovative concepts making organic coated steel more sustainable. While cost-effectiveness and societal impact remain major pillars of sustainability, environmental differentiation and, more precisely, decarbonisation efforts from our paint suppliers are even more expected", explained Jean-Luc Thirion, head of Flat Products Research and Development at ArcelorMittal in his keynote speech during the ceremony. He continued: "Just like the XCarb® steel substrates that we produce today, we need to extend this concept to organic coated steel dedicated to the construction and industry sectors. For that, innovation is required from our suppliers to lower coatings' emissions."

Introducing the keynote speech part of the ceremony, Eric Niedziela, VP Climate Action Europe and chairman of ArcelorMittal France, explained ArcelorMittal's commitments and roadmap to decarbonise steelmaking and provided an insight into the political and economic contexts in which we navigate to make our journey to zero a reality.

Promising ideas for the future

The recently completed 2022 edition of the PSIA has enabled identification of promising ideas.

The scope of the submissions included:

• All product end-uses and market segments
• All components of pre-coated steels that include but are not limited to:
  - product (paint, varnish, laminate film, thin organic coating, surface treatments)
  - process (technology, measurement tools, etc.)
  - tools to quantify the sustainability improvement (models, methodology, etc.)
• Coil coating business specific to North America and Europe

Judging panel members from various ArcelorMittal departments in Europe and Canada – research and development, purchasing, and marketing – have designated the three following winners from the 12 companies shortlisted:

• Henkel for the quality of their submissions and presentation. Henkel is an industry leader and a great partner in the field of metal coating.
• Mäder for the alignment of their submission with ArcelorMittal's sustainability targets. This is a great success for their first participation.
• PPG for their proposal dealing with better performance during the use phase of buildings - an excellent way to combine innovation and sustainability.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications

Images:
ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

With the demand for electricity growing rapidly, solar energy production via photovoltaic (PV) modules installed on roofs is becoming a solution of choice for developers.

Prepainted steel roofing solutions are light, durable, and made from eco-friendly materials. They are also able to sustain the loads required for PV module installation. It's no wonder that installing solar PV systems on steel roofs is increasingly common.

However, some precautions should be taken with PV modules, such as ensuring enough space between the module and the organic coated steel surface to enable water drainage and ventilation. With this condition fulfilled, prepainted steels are the preferred material for roofs with PV modules - whatever the type of building.

Durability

Decision makers in construction projects agree that the durability of the prepainted steel should be at least equal to that of the PV modules - generally around 20 to 25 years minimum, depending on local environmental conditions.

ArcelorMittal's Granite® range of prepainted steel is the perfect answer with its long-term guarantee. Granite® HDXtreme is our best in class prepainted steel for solar roofs, with an automatic guarantee of up to 30 years when combined with PV modules.

Sustainability

With the electricity produced from solar PV roofs largely considered to be green energy, it is important that the chosen roofing solution offers the best sustainability performances throughout the life cycle of the building.

ArcelorMittal's Granite® prepainted steel products have already demonstrated their efficiency in terms of sustainability. Very thin steel substrate with high mechanical resistance and paint systems without heavy metals are just some of the features facilitating the low environmental impact of our Granite® range.

Thanks to XCarb® Recycled and renewably produced, breakthrough innovative solutions will soon be available for the Granite® range, including Granite® HDXtreme. The C02 footprint of Granite® HDXtreme will be more than halved, which will be certified by a third party and officially confirmed in an Environmental Product Declaration.

For solar roof projects, Granite® HDXtreme provides the best in class solution for durability, environmental impact, and the CO2 footprint – in addition to a large colour palette!

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products

Images:
ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)